Friction-clutch.



R. HUFP. FRICTION ULUTUH- APPLICATION 111,21) APR. 27,

1907. v Patented July 5, 1910.

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UNITED STATES PATENT ornron.

RUSSELL HUFF, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TOPACKARD MOTOR GAR COMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OFMICHIGAN.

FRICTION-CLUTCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented uly 5, 1910.

Application filed April 27, 1907. Serial No. 370,620.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUSSELL Horn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Friction-Clutches, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The clutch herein claimed is an improvement upon that covered by thepatent to Packard, 7 69,321, September 6, 1904., and was especiallydesigned for use in automobiles, but is obviously adapted for otheruses, and therefore I do not intend to limit myself to its use inautomobiles.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a face view of the clutch; Fig.2 is a side view of the clutch and connections partly in section takenupon the line 2-2 Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a face view of a modification; andFig. 4 is a side view of the same modification partly in section uponthe line 4.4 Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a shaft which may be constantlyrotating and which is connected to a source of power. The part 2 is apulley or fly wheel rigidly attached by means of bolts 3 to the shaft 1and rotating therewith. The pulley or fly wheel 2 has an extended flange& which forms one of the clutch members. The shaft 5, having a ballbearing support 6 in the end of the shaft 1 and in the hub of the pulleyor fly wheel 2, carries the other clutch member. This second clutchmember may be termed the movable clutch member since it includesa-ring-shaped member or split ring which may be expanded so as tocontact with the inner surface of the flange &, and by friction clutchthe parts together. This member includes a web 7 attached to a flange onthe shaft 5 by bolts, and carrying at its periphery a cylindrical flange8 which serves as a support for the brake band of the clutch, as inPatent No. 769,321, above mentioned. The brake band is made'up of thesteel band or split ring 9 and the coating 10 of leather or equivalentmaterial, and is rigidly attached to the cylindrical support 8 at theend marked 11. (See Fig. 1.) The opposite end 12 of the brake band ismovable in reference to the support 8 and has means mounted thereon formoving it as described in the patent above mentioned, including theshort shaft 13 with the oppositely screw-threaded ends fitting in thefixed bushing 14 and the movable bushing 15 together with the rock-shaftconnection 16 between the movable end and the movable bushing. The shortshaft 13 is rotated by means of the pinion 17 and rack 18, the rack 18being carried by the sleeve 19 slidably keyed to the shaft 5. The sleeve19 is moved lengthwise of the shaft by means of the pivoted lever 20which may be a foot lever of an automobile.

The spring 21 is mounted in a housing 22 in the web of the support 8,and is'under compression, one end bearing against the inner side of thebrake-band 9 and tending to force it outwardly into contact with theother clutch member 4.. The tension spring 23 is connected at 24: to theweb 7 of the support 8, and at 25 it is connected to the steel band 9 ofthe movable clutch member. It will be apparent that the spring 21 tendsto force the part of the movable clutch member opposite to it intocontact with the fixed clutch member 45, while the spring 23 tends todraw the part of the movable clutch member to which it is'attached awayfrom the fixed clutch member and into contact with the support 8.

In the modification shown in Figs. 3 and 4, a leaf spring 27 instead ofa coiled spring 21 is shown, and it is made up of several layers of thinmetal, the layers being progressively of different length so as to moreefi'ectually distribute the strain of the operating lever. This leafspring is placed at the fiXed or anchored end of the band 910 and it isattached to and operated by the arm 28 pivoted at 30' and havingattached to its other end the tension spring 29. The spring 29 willconstantly press the band 10 outwardly and constantly hold it infrictional engagement with the surface of its cooperating member 4. Theaction of springs 27 and 29 is thus the same as the action of spring 21,shown in Fig. 1.

The operation of the device is believed to be obvious from the abovedescription. The brake band or movable clutch member is drawn inwardinto contact with the support 8 and out of contact with the clutchmember 4 or moves outward into contact with the clutch member 4according to the direction in which the shaft 13 rotates. The bushing 15is moved by the shaft 13 and through link 26 and elbow lever 16 movesthe free end of the movable clutch member. The two springs 21 and 23 areadded to make the movable clutch member 9-10 contact with the fixedmember 4, first near the end which is fixed to the support 8. It hasbeen found that in constructions similar to that shown in Patent 769,321the free end of the movable clutch member is liable to come in contactwith the fixed member first when the entire remaining surface of theleather is brought into contact with a violent slam causing a jerk atstarting. The use of the two springs above described entirely evercomesthis and by commencing the contact near the fixed end the clutchingaction may be allowed to increase gradually around the circumference andthus produce a sweeter engagement, avoiding ars.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a device ofthe class described in combination, a cylindrical friction surface, asplit ring adapted to engage said surface, one end of said ring beinganchored and the other end movable to engage said surface, and meansadjacent the anchored end of said ring to yieldingly press the sameagainst said surface, substantially as de scribed.

2. In a device of the class described in combination, a cylindricalfriction surface, a split ring adapted to engage said surface,

one end of said ring being anchored and the other end movable to engagesaid surface, means adjacent the anchored end of said ring to yieldinglypress the same against said surface, and means adjacent the movable endof said ring to yieldingly withdraw the same from said surface,substantially as described.

3. In a device of the class described in combination, a cylindricalfriction surface, a split ring adapted to engage said surface, one endof said ring being anchored and the other end movable to engage saidsurface, and means adjacent the movable end of the split ring tending toWithdraw it from contact with the said friction surface and forpermitting the portion adjacent the anchored end to remain in contactwith said surface, substantially as described.

4:- In a device of the class described in combination, a cylindricalfriction surface, a split ring adapted to engage said surface, one endof said ring being anchored and the other end movable to engage saidsurface, and a spring under compression bearing upon a portion of thesplit ring near the anchored end pressing the same yieldingly againstthe friction surface and a sprlng under tension attached to the splitring near its free end tending to withdraw the same from the frictionsurface, substantially as described.

5. In a split ring clutch of the class deend thereof tending normally toexpand a portion of the ring, means adjacent the other end tendingnormally to contract another portion thereof and means for operating theclutch, substantially as described.

6. In a split ring clutch of the class described, in combination meansfor expanding and contracting the split ring member, and means forcausing the anchored end of the split ring to engage the other member ofthe clutch first, substantially as described.

7. In a clutch, the combination with the outer member thereof, and theinner member consisting of an expansible ring or band, of means forexpanding said band, and means whereby the part of said band adjacentthe anchoring point engages the outer member before the remainder ofsaid band when the band is expanded, substantially as described.

8. In a clutch, the combination with the outer member thereof and theinner mem ber consisting of an expansible ring, said ring being anchoredat one point and having a movable end, of means for expanding said ring,and means whereby, when the ring is expanded, the portion thereofadjacent the anchoring point engages the outer member first,substantially as described.

9. In a clutch, the combination with the outer member thereof, and theinner member consisting of an expansible split ring anchored at one end,of means for expanding the inner member, a spring adjacent the anchoredend for outwardly pressing said ring and a spring adjacent the movableend for withholding the latter.

10. In a device of the class described in combination, a cylindricalfriction surface, a split ring adapted to engage said surface, meansadjacent one end of said ring yieldingly pressing the same against thesaid surface, means adjacent the other end of the ring yieldinglywithdrawing the same from said surface, and positive means forseparating the ends of the split ring to expand it against the saidsurface.

11. In a clutch in combination, driving and driven members, one of saidmembers being provided with a friction surface and the other memberprovided with a band cooperating with the friction surface, one end ofsaid band being anchored and the other movable, and means for insuringthat the anchored end of said band engages the friction surface first.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RUSSELL HUFF.

Witnesses:

ALLEN LooMIs, MARK C. TAYLOR.

